A Good Day to Die Hard (aka DH5): Grade, Review, Discuss---SPOILERS!!!

[Star Wolf]

Re: A Good Day to Die Hard (aka DH5): Grade, Review, Discuss---SPOILER

Getting into terrorist trouble by accident for the sixth fucking time? No.

Die Hard 2 was already stretching that.
Die Hard 3 ONLY worked because it was a revenge plot by a Gruber brother. There was an actual reason why the hell he was involved again.

The other films are total nonsense.

If anything, the 4th film should have had John McClane doing actual police work, getting into trouble that way.

But see that was it, he was a cop, it could have been the old LAPD guy with a rewrite, who got in the middle of criminals masquerading as terrorist. And standing in for the every-man we wish all cops were like that. It is part of the reason we want them armed when off duty.

 

[Mr Light]

Re: A Good Day to Die Hard (aka DH5): Grade, Review, Discuss---SPOILER

McClaine's involvement in the story in 3 and 4 makes sense. In 3 he was the target, and in 4 they were calling in all the detectives in the area to round people up. Unfortunately 5 falls for the old mistake of in the wrong place at the wrong time.

 

[Gaith]

Re: A Good Day to Die Hard (aka DH5): Grade, Review, Discuss---SPOILER

Getting into terrorist trouble by accident for the sixth fucking time? No.

Bit late to worry about franchise-wide credibility, innit?

I don't care if the setup is contrived/wildly coincidental. I'd far rather have an absurd setup that jumps right into a first-rate story than something like the last two movies, whose plots seem downright sheepish about justifying their own existence.

 

[Starkers]

Re: A Good Day to Die Hard (aka DH5): Grade, Review, Discuss---SPOILER

Getting into terrorist trouble by accident for the sixth fucking time? No.

Bit late to worry about franchise-wide credibility, innit?

I don't care if the setup is contrived/wildly coincidental. I'd far rather have an absurd setup that jumps right into a first-rate story than something like the last two movies, whose plots seem downright sheepish about justifying their own existence.

I will give the 5th one very minor props for at least trying to return to the wrong guy/wrong place/wrong time idea, even if it handled it horribly.

With regard to McClane getting into terrorist trouble by accident, I think the third film should be the template to go with, because McClane doesn't get involved by accident, his involvement is entirely part of a carefully orchestrated plot. Ok I'm pretty sure Simon didn't expect it to pan out like it did, but still nothing accidental about John boy's presense.

 

[Agent Richard07]

Re: A Good Day to Die Hard (aka DH5): Grade, Review, Discuss---SPOILER

Die Hard 3 ONLY worked because it was a revenge plot by a Gruber brother. There was an actual reason why the hell he was involved again.

That answers my question. I've been wondering why Die Hard 3 was so highly regarded. Like 4 and 5, I've always seen it as a generic action movie with Bruce Willis and the "Die Hard" name slapped on.

 

[Frontier]

Re: A Good Day to Die Hard (aka DH5): Grade, Review, Discuss---SPOILER

The first film was spectacular. The second was good. The third was good. The fourth was OK, if a bit unusual. This one though? It stunk. It was terrible. I will not buy it on DVD and will not further acknowledge it exists. This was not Die Hard in any way, shape, or form. It was Bruce Willis and some nobody running around doing whatever. Most disappointing film I've seen in a long, long time.

This makes the Star Wars prequels and Terminator 3 and Nemesis look like good movies!

 

[Star Wolf]

Re: A Good Day to Die Hard (aka DH5): Grade, Review, Discuss---SPOILER

Die Hard 3 ONLY worked because it was a revenge plot by a Gruber brother. There was an actual reason why the hell he was involved again.

That answers my question. I've been wondering why Die Hard 3 was so highly regarded. Like 4 and 5, I've always seen it as a generic action movie with Bruce Willis and the "Die Hard" name slapped on.

As I understand 2,3 and 4 were generic films with Bruce Willis and Die Hard franchise name slapped on. And this last one, which was concieved as Die Hard from the start seemed like Bond action with iconic Die Hard call back moments grafted on

 

[Starkers]

Re: A Good Day to Die Hard (aka DH5): Grade, Review, Discuss---SPOILER

Die Hard 3 ONLY worked because it was a revenge plot by a Gruber brother. There was an actual reason why the hell he was involved again.

That answers my question. I've been wondering why Die Hard 3 was so highly regarded. Like 4 and 5, I've always seen it as a generic action movie with Bruce Willis and the "Die Hard" name slapped on.

Oh its way better than 4 or 5, and in fact better than 2, and not only because there's a logical reason why McClane's involved. There's also Samual L Jackson before he started just playing the same bad ass mother fucker in everything (until Django) there's the fact McClane is in over his head and is mortal (come on the guy spends the entire film hung over). Simon's plan is overly complicated but it is well thought out, and the riddles are clever, and Jeremy Irons is only a smidgen away from being as cool as Alan Rickman was.

Plus it's use of 'The animals go in two by two' is inspired.

Only the ending lets it down really.

Almost forgot, it's an action film comfortable enough to let McClane's fellow cops be competant and heroic too, how refreshing is that!

 

[JarodRussell]

Re: A Good Day to Die Hard (aka DH5): Grade, Review, Discuss---SPOILER

Die Hard 3 needed to grow on me, because the whole style is different from DH1 and DH2. But now I absolutely love it. All the tiny little references to the original, the soundtrack, the neat little fact that there is no gunfight in the whole first half, the heist plot, etc...

 

[Gaith]

Re: A Good Day to Die Hard (aka DH5): Grade, Review, Discuss---SPOILER

For the final act, they ought to go back to the very basics: McClane on a ________. Only a modest budget necessary. And make him mortal again, for Pete's sake.

Has "cruise ship" been played out by Speed 2?

Maybe he'll pull a Stallone and make his version of Rocky Balboa (which together with the first one were awesome movies in themselves, the others are just brainless fun movies).

... Or maybe pull a New Nightmare, and have the sixth and final Die Hard star not McClane, but Willis caught in a McClane-like scenario?

 

[Mr Light]

Re: A Good Day to Die Hard (aka DH5): Grade, Review, Discuss---SPOILER

I think Die Hard 3 is actually the best flick in the series. 1 is groundbreaking and all but 3 is just MORE of everything. Bigger scope, gorgeous NYC location filming, great villain, great villain's plot, great sidekick, amazing action scenes...

 

[JarodRussell]

Re: A Good Day to Die Hard (aka DH5): Grade, Review, Discuss---SPOILER

I love the "no bullshit" attitude of Die Hard 3. I always like to compare it to Die Hard 4 because they have a scene in common:

In Die Hard 3, they are at the bank vault, realize they need to find 14 dump trucks. So they break into a Yugo with a gold bar (!). McClane goes: "Can you hotwire this thing?" and Zeus goes "Of course I can, I'm an electrician. The only problem is: it takes to fucking long." and he starts the car using his multitool.
And bam, the chase continues, the whole thing is very fast paced, no bullshit.


In Die Hard 4, they realize they need to get to one of those power plants before it is shut down. So they need to steal a car. And then they do that onStar BMW ad with Justin Long fake acting. They were literally wasting my time with absolute bullshit on the screen. And then they drive slowly to the power plant, having an unnnecccesssary pseudo-analytical dialogue about McClane's motivations.


How come Die Hard 3 didn't need a scene where they have Samuel L. Jackson go: "Oh, McClane, my hero, why are you doing what you are doing right now?" - "Oh, Zeus, my partner, because no one else is doing it. Btw, I am no hero, I only do what I have to do. And I have lost everything because of it, blabla." - "Oh, McClane, that is it what makes you a hero, blabla."

Instead, they are "Fuck you!" - "Fuck you, too." I love it.